Paper Lanterns
by Zentauria
Summary: Tsurugi was not voluntary at this festival. Not really, at least - Tenma dragged him along. But why of all people had she to choose him as companion? Fem!TenmaxTsurugi


**Oh yeah, just another KyouTen although Zentauria should focus on her other story. But you know what? I'm melting and the chapter is difficult, but I really wanted to write, so...**

**Anyway, you don't want to know the story of my life, so I spare you with it and wish you much fun!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inazuma Eleven as well as everything related to it and I do not earn money with that story!**

* * *

Tsurugi sighed. Why was he here again? He didn't intend on visiting this odd Chinese festival this evening. Or was it Vietnamese? Or... whatever, he couldn't remember, and he didn't care.

It was all Tenma's fault. It was her who had dragged him along. And his brother Yuuichi supported her in doing so. Tsurugi suspected a conspiracy, but it didn't change the fact that he was here now, dressed with a dark blue yukata and the matching black obi which nearly made him vanish, merging with the shadows of the paper lanterns. And that's what he would like to do at this moment: vanish.

Tenma for her share was jumping from here to there, looked happily around and was the joy in person. Just as usual, actually. Her yukata was much more colourful, red with some green tendrils and purple flowers spread over it, topped off with a white obi. Her getas went clip-clop on the pavement like hooves as she ran over to a noodle stall, almost tripping over her own two feet. Tsurugi assumed she wasn't used to this kind of shoes.

His own movements looked much more skilled, he obviously had a talent for this. Still Tenma left him behind, his unwilling walk ended up to be much slower than her clumsy yet enthusiastic run.

"Tsurugi!"

The striker in question ceased his bored look around and glanced at his captain. The girl stood at the end of a queue and waved cheerfully, begging him to come. Since there was nothing better to do, he stepped up and joined her.

"Tenma, where is your fan?", he asked after a quick examination of his friend. Tenma winced and began to pat down her yukata.

"Eh, well... I can swear it was there a few seconds ago, I put it into my obi!", she defended herself and Tsurugi sighed.

"Don't tell me you lost it _again_!"

Tenma's hanging head answered the unspoken question sufficiently and Tsurugi's mood dropped further. "Go search for it. I'll wait here."

Tenma raised her head, her face radiating with happiness. "Thanks, Tsurugi!", she called and rushed off, leaving her friend behind who hoped she would find it. It shouldn't be too easy between all these people at night, with the paper lanterns and the silver moon as only light sources.

The navy-haired boy shook his head, glad to be male and having no need to carry a fan around, though he had to admit that he envied Tenma her fan before nightfall, when it was still hot. She didn't realize, however. She never does.

After about five minutes, Tsurugi reached the beginning of the queue and bought two dishes of noodles, then he looked for a table. He was sure Tenma would find him.

The midfielder arrived soon, a broad smile graced her lips. "I found it!", she announced and waved a folded beige-coloured fan around. "I dropped it near a candle stall and the owner kept it for me!"

"Don't lose it again." was Tsurugi's only reply. "Now sit down. The noodles become cool."

"Ah, sorry! You didn't need to wait for me, though."

Tsurugi shrugged. "But I wanted."

Tenma's smile became even broader. "Yes! Thank you!"

"Would you sit down now?"

The brown-haired girl laughed sheepishly and took a seat. She put the fan next to her plate and both youths began to eat.

"Let's go to the stage afterwards!", Tenma suggested in the middle of eating.

Tsurugi weighed the proposal and came to the conclusion that the night couldn't turn any worse, so he agreed to satisfy his captain and continue eating in peace. He had to admit that the taste wasn't that bad, Tenma chose the stand well, but he considered it a coincidence anyway.

* * *

"The music is beautiful, isn't?", Tenma praised as the teenager made their way through the crowd. Or better: Tenma made through the crowd, pulling Tsurugi's wrist who half-heartedly followed her.

The navy-haired striker shrugged. "A bit too corny for my liking."

"If you think so...", Tenma drawled, then her eyes began to twinkle with excitement, making Tsurugi anticipating bad. "Let's dance!"

"Dance?" Tsurugi hoped he misheard something, but Tenma nodded high-spirited.

"Yeah! It's great fun, you'll see!" Before Tsurugi had a chance to protest, his wrist was grabbed again and he himself dragged to the dance floor in front of the stage. There were a lot of other couples enjoying themselves already. Wait – couples?!

"Come on, Tsurugi!", Tenma called out. She was already in action, and although she didn't look like a professional dancer, she seemed to have a good time. But Tsurugi remained sceptic.

"What about your getas? And your FAN?"

"Don't worry!", Tenma smiled. "My fan is safe." She patted her chest. Tsurugi knew what it means: The upper part of a yukata can be used as a pocket. There is enough space for small things between body and fabric, and the obi prevents them from falling on the ground. The striker only wondered why she hadn't came up with that idea earlier. "And I think I'm also fine with the getas by the time!"

Tsurugi had to notice that she indeed stopped tripping, the sound of wood colliding with stone became more regular and merged almost harmonically with the music. Before he realized it, a smile crept up on his face and Tenma returned it with sparkling eyes. She reached out her hands, silently asking to take them.

Tsurugi closed his eyes, fighting a mental fight. It couldn't be so bad, could it? He decided to give it a try. Even if he'd make a fool of himself, he'd never see these people again. Except for Tenma of course, but she won't leave him, no matter what.

Watching what the others were doing, Tsurugi began to lead the shorter girl carefully. But Tenma wasn't satisfied, she danced wilder than the striker preferred, constantly challenging him not to relinquish all control to her. _Come on, that's not funny at all!_

And he didn't surrender. Never – ever! That wouldn't be like him! So he just smirked and tightened his grip. He stopped watching the others, and slowly stopped thinking as well. His body began to move on its own, pushing Tenma, pulling Tenma, spinning her around and making her laugh.

He didn't let go of her until the music stopped, and even then they still held hands, looking into each others eyes.

"That was fun! You're amazing, Tsurugi!", Tenma panted, pulling her sweat-slippery hands out of his. "But now, I need to get something to drink!"

Tsurugi blinked. What had he done? He had a passionate dance with his team captain! And then her eyes... He never saw them like this before. They had something fascinating, something _magic _glittering in them as they reflected the paper lanterns. He could have looked into them for hours, maybe for eternity, and now the owner of these mesmerizing eyes turned away, leaving him dumbstruck.

"Tsurugi!"

Addressed youth took a deep breath. No time for weird thoughts, Tenma was right. They needed to drink something. He nodded in Tenma's direction to show he heard her and began to elbow his way through the crowd.

"What would you like to have?", the brown-haired girl asked. She insisted that is was her turn now to buy stuff.

"I don't care, just bring something!"

"Well..."

Tenma walked off and Tsurugi collapsed into a chair, still wondering what might have happened to him. It was the first time he felt that fascination towards Tenma. As if pulled by an invisible power, Tsurugi's eyes searched for the yukata of the girl, finding it in a queue a few metres away. He had to admit that it fitted her, she looked beautiful in it.

Sensing the gaze, Tenma turned around and flashed her friend a warm smile, making him looking away hastily. It's not too polite to stare at people.

A few boring minutes later, Tenma put two glasses of orange juice at the table. "I didn't lose my fan this time!", she proudly told him.

"Congrats", Tsurugi answered absent-mindedly and grabbed one of the glasses.

Tenma blinked in confusion. She couldn't fail to notice that Tsurugi avoided to look at her. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing."

She smiled. "Okay! Maybe it was just my imagination."

That was typical. You never know if she picked up on something because she never asks. Tsurugi didn't know what to do about this girl. She used to be his enemy, now she was his friend, his team captain and his... crush? Not really, is she? She had never been. But that little moment... changed it. Like a switch being flipped, Tenma turned from a friend into a love interest. And Tsurugi had to admit that to himself. _Darn paper lanterns!_

He was lucky that it's usual for him not to talk, so he wouldn't attract Tenma's attention with keeping silent. She was talking enough for both of them anyway.

"Would you like to return to the dance floor afterwards?"

Tsurugi thought about that question. He might see those eyes again, and he wasn't sure if he wants that. His heart said 'Yes, yes, yes, do it!' while his head said 'No, you might put your relationship to her in danger!'.

"Tsurugi? Did you hear me?"

"Yes."

"So?"

"Tenma? Why did you drag me here?"

"What?" He could swear Tenma blushed a bit, but actually, he couldn't tell with this lighting conditions. "Because I didn't want to come here alone and Aki-nee hadn't had time."

"Why didn't you ask Shinsuke or Aoi?"

"Because I wanted to come here with you. Is that a problem?"

"No... not really..."

Tenma blinked perplexed. Why did Tsurugi never realize how cute she looks when she does this? "Not really? What do you mean?"

"Forget it! It's no problem!"

"Okay, that's great!" Tenma smiled broadly, then she suddenly stretched as if she noticed something. With an excited expression on her face she jumped out of her seat and gripped Tsurugi's hands. "That's one of my favourite songs! Come, come, come!"

And again he couldn't resist her strong pull. Well, he could if he really wanted, but he didn't, so he found himself dancing with Tenma again, looking into this mesmerizing eyes which radiated with sheer delight.

Her happiness was contagious. Tsurugi couldn't help thinking how lucky he was to have such a cheery friend. Without her, he might still be stuck at Fifth Sector, trying to protect a kind of soccer he can't stand himself in the hope to get money which possibly no one planned to give him.

"Oops!"

Tsurugi was brought down to earth with a bang. Now nobody expected it anymore, Tenma tripped in her getas and fell directly into Tsurugi's arms. She searched for purchase, ending up glomping the forward who immediately wrapped his arms around her to stop her fall.

Scarcely when the shock was overcome, Tenma jumped back, her face shining in all known and unknown shades of red. "I'm sorry! That was an accident, I-I..."

"It's okay", Tsurugi interrupted her before she could come in full flow. Tenma blinked and laughed sheepishly.

"Ehehe... That's good! Thanks for catching anyway!"

Tsurugi nodded without a word. He could hardly tell her that he wouldn't mind repeating it.

Tenma scratched the back of her head. "Maybe I should stop dancing with these shoes. How about continuing with looking around? I think we hadn't seen everything yet!"

"Fine with me."

They returned to their table and brought the glasses back to their owner. Tsurugi realized that Tenma's face already shimmered with sweat. He wiped over his own and came to the conclusion that he didn't look any better, but he shrugged it off.

* * *

"Look! That turtle figure is cute, isn't?" Tenma pointed at a small stone turtle and leaned forward to take a closer look, her eyes shining bright. Tsurugi didn't say anything, he wondered why girls are always into cute stuff although it just stands around catching dust. If it would at least have some practical utility, but it hasn't! Actually none of the things which were sold here could be useful in any manner, and Tenma was clever enough not to buy anything at all.

Come to think of it: Tenma's apartment didn't contain no dust catchers except for her life-saviour-soccer-ball, and that _did _have the permission to stand around, nothing to disagree.

Tsurugi chuckled inwardly. In some ways, Tenma was a typical girl, and in some ways, she wasn't. And it was good like this.

They walked on, stopping here, stopping there. Also Tsurugi found some things he like. Not as much as Tenma, and he didn't make it public, but it was fine. At least the boredom from before couldn't take over again.

After they passed a jewellery stall where Tenma became overenthusiastic about a necklace with a silver Pegasus-pendant, Tsurugi spontaneously decided to step up. "How much is it?"

* * *

"Space, air to breathe!" Tenma stretched her arms high in the air, showing everyone around (aka Tsurugi) her joy. They had left the festival grounds and stepped out on a meadow, where a cool breeze blew – it was truly a relief after the busy market street. The girl ran a few steps further and climbed up a slope, where she fell into the tall grass and disappeared with a grateful sigh.

"Ah, that's what I needed! Over here, Tsurugi!" She waved her hand to show her location, but it was actually senseless. It was dark at the meadow, the lights of the festival couldn't reach that far, so Tsurugi let his ears lead him the way.

"Attention!"

"Sorry."

"It's fine. Nothing happened!"

He obviously found his friend when he nearly tripped over her. He lay down next to Tenma and they looked up at the night sky together.

"Isn't it beautiful? Stargazing is so fascinating!", Tenma stated and Tsurugi hummed as agreement, then they fell silent again, staring into infinity.

Suddenly, Tenma jolted up in a sitting position. "A shooting star! Oh, it disappeared already... Did you see it?"

"No, I didn't", Tsurugi replied and sat up as well. "But that's okay, you don't have to feel sorry for me", he added as he recognized Tenma's crestfallen silhouette. Wait – that was the perfect moment!

"Come on! I have something for you!"

Now he got her attention. He rummaged through his yukata-supposed-to-be-pocket, searching for the bag with the necklace. As he touched his mobile, the brilliant idea of using it as a light source crossed his mind and he fished it out at first. With a "Hold this!" he thrust it in Tenma's hands and continued ransacking, finally pulling the small plastic bag out.

Meanwhile, Tenma had turned the mobile on, providing light. Her curiosity couldn't be overlooked and she waited eagerly for Tsurugi, who opened the bag now and let the content fall into his palm.

"Here."

Tenma's eyes widened and began to shine. "Thank you, Tsurugi!", she squealed and glomped her friend, knocking him over so she ended up lying on top of him. Anyway, she was too happy to care about their position, and Tsurugi didn't push her away. Quite the contrary: He lifted his arms and returned the hug, determined to never let her go again. Too bad that they still held a mobile and a necklace...

* * *

**Ah, don't know...  
****It's not the typical romance one-shot, I suppose. I really tried to stick with the characters, and that's the result. I mean, Tsurugi is a lot, but not romantic. I can imagine him neither blushing nor confessing, so... Deal with it! Maybe you liked it this way, maybe you don't, maybe you have improvement suggestions? (No, I'm not asking for reviews, what gave you that idea? *whistles innocently*)**

**Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you had some fun!  
**

**Edit: Kyukyu-kun (just in case you look at this again): Indeed, the tournaments (except for Ragnarok and FFIV2) are just for boys, but, you know, I have a little problem with homosexuality (I mean, not in general, just in fiction!), so I'm avoiding it with genderbending. Just think of this as a parallel dimension and don't take it too serious. Tenma isn't a girl, right? ^-^**


End file.
